The Widow

***SPOILER WARNING***The Widow brings us into the life of Jean Taylor, who has recently become a widow when her husband was killed by a bus. As Jean tries to navigate this loss, she is bombarded by press and police alike. Why? Because her husband was also the number one suspect in the disappearance of a young, local girl several years ago. Jean always stood by his side, but now that he is gone, will the truth come to light?This book could have been very interesting. I was intrigued by the idea of a woman trapped by a controlling monster, and who she will become now that he was gone. But it wasn't really like that at all.I had several problems with this book. First, it was told from several different perspectives. This is not a problem in itself. I've read several books who employ this tactic, and if done skillfully, it can work really well. It did not work in this case. The 3 main perspectives we get are - The Widow, The Detective, and The Reporter. But only The Widow's is written in first person. The other 2 are done in 3rd person, and this can be a bit hard to read. It makes you continually stop and try and remember whose chapter this is. I am sure the author did this to establish Jean as the main character, but it really just didn't flow well.Also, while I really enjoyed the chapters written from the detective's perspective (I read a lot of police procedurals and I thoroughly enjoy the solving of a crime aspect), I felt like the reporter's segments were just filler - to make the book longer. They didn't really add anything to the story. And I didn't care for the character of the reporter at all. And that's fine - there are going to be unlikeable characters in a book. But I felt like the author was trying to MAKE her likeable. There were constant references to how the people she wrote about would stay in touch with her and trust her, like she was a good friend to them. But the woman came across as very manipulative and self-serving to me. I didn't enjoy her chapters at all.And, really, the main character wasn't hugely likeable either. I couldn't even muster up much sympathy for her. As the book goes on, we find out more and more about her husband, and he was a vile person, to be sure. But the way the book was set up, you kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. She's going to really turn things around. I guess she did technically kill her husband, but I kind of suspected that all along and the way it was done felt very anticlimactic. In the end, I didn't sense this big, powerful shift from her, just that she went a bit mad. And I don't know that she was ever going to expose the truth, if she hadn't been found out.The author also randomly inserts a chapter or two from the POV of the grieving mother of the missing child, as well as Jean's husband, the alleged abductor. These not only felt like more filler, but the chapter from Glen's POV was really disturbing. I don't need to get that up close and personal with the mind of pedophile. I think it was a cheap way to reveal more about what happened to the girl, and it didn't pay off, IMO.There was a real problem with the timeline and pacing as well. The book starts in present time, then takes us back to the time of the child's disappearance; then flits back and forth across the years. Again, this can work well if done right. But I felt like too much was revealed too soon. At the start of the book you know the husband is dead and isn't in jail. From fairly early on you know the child was never found. It's pretty easy to ascertain what is going to happen. There is no suspense, no fun reveals, very little build up. It's basically a slow burn to the inevitable.The only reason I didn't get fewer stars is because the writing is pretty good and the concept was good in theory. But this story was just not executed well.

I was drawn to The Widow by the blurb and the amazing reviews it received. Fiona Barton doesn’t disappoint with this twisted tale of suspense. Each chapter is titled and told in the voice of different characters. From the first page, I was hooked. Fascinated and annoyed by reporter Kate Waters and her intrusive behavior I had to read on in the hopes she would get the widow’s foot on her bottom. She rudely intrudes on widow Jean Taylor, whose husband Glen had died in an accident the week before, struck and killed by a bus. Ironically, Jean and Glen met at a bus stop, so Barton skillfully brings the story of their relationship full circle.Jean has been under a great strain caused by events surrounding her late husband. A woman who apparently had low self-esteem, she dedicated her life to being a good wife. It’s apparent she feels unworthy of Glen’s love, fortunate to have been chosen to be his wife. Glen is the dominant force in the marriage and Jean willingly allows him to take the lead in all things. She even states she “learned so much from him”. Those words are ultimately proved true.When Glen is accused of kidnapping two-year-old Bella Elliott, the lives of the couple are turned upside down. Barton takes us through the beginning of the courtship and marriage before springing the shocking abduction on the readers. As the tale unfolds sympathy for widow Jean grows along with the question, is Glen guilty? Could this man have suddenly turned into a predator? The intimate details of the Taylor marriage are revealed bit by bit, building the suspense. The dark secrets that lie beneath the surface are disturbing and raise more questions. The shadowy secondary characters carry secrets of their own and little by little the cloth is woven. Connecting the dots, erasing those that prove incorrect, only to return to reconnect them kept me enthralled.Kate Waters desperately wants to tell the story of the Taylor’s, certain there were secrets beneath the surface. But Waters isn’t the only person anxious to learn the truth. Detective Inspector Bob Sparkes was one of the first investigators on the case and he dedicated himself to finding Bella. Suspects appear and are excused along the way. Even Bella’s distraught single mother, Dawn, could be guilty of doing away with her child. It is only by accident that Sparkes stumbles onto his prime suspect. Once his sights were focused on Glen Taylor, he pursued the man mercilessly. His determination is almost as pathological as the crime itself.There’s certainly plenty of evidence pointing to Glen Taylor. It isn’t hard to believe widow Jean might lie for him. After all, she was lucky to find such a good husband. Yet there are other possible suspects. If we remove the detective’s single-minded obsession, it’s not too difficult to cast an observant eye in other directions.Even when the truth becomes obvious, the hunger to find out where the revelation will carry story is overwhelming. Along with the mystery of who took Bella and what happened to her are the hidden lives of other characters. There are enough secrets in this book to keep the reader’s mind hopping.I finished it in one short weekend at the beach and highly recommend this book as an intensely compelling tale of suspense.

It’s a fast, good read. The back and forth with the dates between chapters is a little annoying and the police protocol is loose, to say the least. The story line is engaging and better than most though.The book had some random ink splotches through out though

OTTIMA CONDIZIONE. ARRIVATO PRIMA DEL PREVISTO. GRAZIE.

A very interesting style of writing. One of her better books. It held my attention to the end.Un estilo de escritura muy interesante. Uno de sus mejores libros. Mantuvo mi atención hasta el final.

Very well planned and written, not at all like your usual mystery novel. Hard to put down once you start reading.

J'ai passé un très bon moment. Le roman se lit à toute vitesse, sans rien qui dérange.Mais franchement, ce n'est pas Gone Girl. C'est vite oubliable : je l'ai terminé la semaine dernière et je dois me creuser la tête pour me remémorer l'intrigue et certains personnages.J'avoue avoir été un peu déçue par la conclusion de certains aspects de l'intrigue, je m'attendais à plus de surprises.Mais, à nouveau, on passe un moment agréable, c'est écrit sans laideurs ni lourdeurs, parfait pour les vacances.

Another brilliant read from Fiona Barton. I am looking forward to her newest book.